One of Mexico’s most famous journalists survived an assassination attempt after gunmen tried to ambush him in Mexico City Thursday. The journalist, known for being hypercritical of that country’s government, survived thanks to his armored vehicle.
The attack took place on Thursday night in Mexico City when two gunmen on a motorcycle targeted Ciro Gomez Leyva.
Gomez Leyva tweeted photographs of his vehicle which show two shots on the driver’s side window and three more hitting the hood and windshield.
After news of the attack started to spread on social media, Mexico City’s Economic Development Secretary Fadlala Akabani claimed that members of the “oligarchy” likely carried out the attack as a media stunt to tarnish the government. Moments after posting the tweet, Akabani deleted it.
During his morning radio show, Gomez Leyva has been one of the harshest critics of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO). The journalist has reported on widespread corruption, cash bribes, government ties to cartels, and other abuses of power. In turn, AMLO has singled out Gomez Leyva and others as mouthpieces for a corrupt oligarchy and prior presidents.
AMLO has been criticized by international press freedom organizations for his vocal attacks on journalists, especially during his daily morning news conferences. Additionally, those same groups label Mexico as the most dangerous place for journalists outside of an active war zone. In 2022, Mexico had 16 murdered journalists.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com.
Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.